Fourth to peter h



(No Model.)

2 ShetsSheet 1. J. H. SCHMIDT'.

V'ENDING MACHINE.

Il ATTORNEY. 7

(No Model.) s Y Z'Sheefs-Sheet J. H. SCHMIDT.

' VENDING MACHINE. No. 600,697. PatentedMar. l5, l18981.

JULIUS H. SCHMIDT, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- FOURTH TO PETER Il. SOHEFFLER, OF SAME PLACE.

VENDlNG-IVIACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,697, dated March 15, 1898. Application filed December 11, 1897. Serial No. 661,487. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, t may 00u/cern:

Be it known that I, JULIUs H. SCHMIDT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bayonne, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in vending-machines', and pertains particularly to the class of coin -operated vending-machines employed for selling cakes of chocolate and other materials.

The invention consists in novel features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, Figure lis a central vertical longitudinal section through a machine constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention, the parts being shown in their normal position ready for operation. Fig. 2 is a like section of a portion of same, the coin being shown in its inward position and the purchased cake of chocolate in position falling from the cylindrical carrier. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detached face view of the arms which hold the coin and which with the coin are pressed inward to cause the delivery of a cake of chocolate to the purchaser, the dotted lines in this figure indicating disks of a character which are sometimes used in lieu of coins in an attempt to operate vending-machines. Fig. Il is a horizontal section of the machine on the dotted line 4 4 of Fig. l, and in this figure the dotted line 1 l indicates the section on which Fig. l is taken. Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the 0perative mechanism of the machine, the same being partly in section on the dotted line 5 5 of Fig. l; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged bottom view of the outer ends of the arms which receive the coin and which with the coin are pushed inward by the purchaser to release the cake of chocolate, the dotted lines in this figure denoting various disks which it has been found are sometimes employed instead of coins in an attempt to defeat vending-machines of a character to which the present invention pertains,

In the drawings, A designates the general casing of the machine; B, the vertical chamber thereof which receives the cakes of chocolate or other material C; D,`the slot through which the coin is passed; E, a cylindrical carrier which forms the base for the vertical chamber B and is utilized to deliver the lower cake of the series of cakes-C to a discharge-chute F, and G H a pair of pivoted arms which receive the coin (lettered I) from the slot D, and which, upon being` driven inward with said coin by means of the pushrod J, effect the turning of the carrier E and the delivery thereby of the lower cake of I chocolate C to the discharge-chute F.

The casing A and chamber B will be of any suitable form and construction. The base of the chamber B is formed by the cylindrical carrier'E, which supports the column of cakes C and has at one side the receptacle K of a form and size adapted to snugly receive the lower cake of the column O. In front of the cylindrical carrier E is a protecting-casing L, and below said carrier E and to the front thereof is provided the chute F, which directs the purchased cake of chocolate downward within reach of the purchaser. The carrier E is mounted upon a central shaft M, suitably supported in bearings between the opposite sides of the machine. Below the shaft M of the carrier E are pivotally secured to said carrier the lower arms of the bifurcated frame N, whose upper end is composed of an individual member pivotally secured to the lever O, which is mounted upon the shaft P and is above said shaft'connected with the vertical arm Q by means of a link R. The vertical arm Q is connected with a sliding carriage or plate S, which is located below the top plate T of the machine and has pivotally secured to it the pair of levers G H, hereinbefore referred to. The arm Q and the parts connected with it have a normal tension toward the front part of the machine under the action of the spring V. The carriage or plate S is supported in suitable guiding-grooves at its opposite edges, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5, and has a direct forward and backward` movement, the backward or inward movement being imparted to it by the plunger J and the forward or outward movement being imparted toit by the springV. The arms IOO 'rounded upper surfaces, Fig. l, and at the outer sides of said inner ends of the said arms are formed the recesses a b, Fig. 5, whichin use receive the pins d e, carried by the leafspringsf g, when saidinner ends of said armsj are forced inward and elevate and pass beyond the said pins CZ e. The louter or front ends of the lever-arms G H have the downward or right-angular extensions 'h h, which are clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 and which are formed with the vertical edge flanges i e' and the inwardly-extending flangesvj j, the purpose of which will be hereinafter explained. The front ends of the lever-arms GH terminate directly below the coin-slot D and in rear of the transverse bracket 7c,which, in connection with the front plate m of the machine, supports the plunger-rod J, by which, in connection with the coin, the machine maybe operated.

Uponthe plunger-rod J, within the frame of the machine, is provided the spring n, by which said rod has an outward tension imparted to it. The rod J `rests within apertures formed in the front plate m and bracket 7c and is capable of being freely and idly turned therein. As illustrated in Fig. 5 more clearly, the inner end of the push or plunger rodJ isdirectly between `the leverarms G H, and hence can have no effect upon said arms except when the coin is in engagement with said arms and directly in front of said rod J. The spring f carries an arm 0, which, as shown in Fig. l, extends upward and engages the surface of the cylindrical carrier E, and said arm when said carrier is in its normal position (shown in Fig. l) engages a shoulder p on said carrier and serves'as a means for locking said -carrier in its normal position. The arm o is of lightspring metal and will yield downward from the'oarrier E when the inner end of the spring fis elevated and .will pass over the shoulder p when the carrier E is returning from the position in which it is shown in Fig. 2 to the position in which it is illustrated in Fig. l.

lWhen a coin I of the proper character is passed through the coin-slot D, it will be arrested between the downward extensions h of the lever-arms G H and will arrive ata position directly in rear of the inner end of the push or plunger rod J, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5. After the coin has arrived at the position illustrated in Fig. 5 the operator will press upon the outer end of the push or plunger rod J, and the inner end of said rod being in line with the coin the pressure on said rod will drive the coin against the lever-arms G H and force the latter, with the carriage S, inward or toward the rear of the machine. The inward motion of the lever-arms G H and carriage S causes the vertical lever O to turn rearward and through its bifurcated frame N to pull the carrier E and effect a revolving motion of the latter from the position in which it is shown in Fig. l to the position in which it is illustrated in Fig. 2. The carrier E during its movement just referred to will cause the cake C within its pocket K to be carried downward and dropped upon the chute F, as indicated by the full and dotted lines in Fig. 2. The carrier E, while in the position shown in Fig. 2, delivering a cake of chocolate, maintains the column of cakes within the chamber B, since as soon as the vpocket K leaves the base of the chamber B the cylindrical surfaces of said carrier E pass at once into contact with the lower cake of the column of cakes within said chamber. Upon the outward movement of the carriage S under the action of the spring Vthe upper end of the vertical lever O is by means of the link R pulled frontward and through its bifurcated frame N is caused to reverse the revoluble motion of the carrier E, whereby said carrier is restored to its normal position, (shown in Fig. 1,) with itspocket K directly below the column of cakes'G, one of which will immediately enter said pocket preparatory to being delivered to the 'chute F upon the succeeding operation of the machine. During the inward motion of the lever-arms GH under the action of the push-rod J and coin I the inner ends of said lever-arms G H pressing against the tapered pins d e, carried by the springsf g, force said pins and springs vupward and maintain the same in their upwardfposition until the recesses d b in said arms GH pass below said pins CZ e, whereupon said pins will-spring downward into said recesses. The upward movement of the spring f, caused by the passage below the same of the lever-arm H, has the effect of freeing the armo from the shoulder p on the cylindrical carrier E. During the inward motion of the carriage S and arms G H the latter maintain their uniform relation to one another unaffected by the pins d e, which elevate under the action of said arms G Hto permit the latter at their inner ends to pass beyond them. Prior to arriving at their full inward movement the lever-arms G H receive within their recesses a b the pins d e, and hence upon the outward movement of said lever-arms G H the pins d c will press againstthe cam edges 2f of said lever-arms and cause the inner ends of said arms to be pressed toward one another, whereby the outer or front ends of said arms G H are spread apart and 'the coinI is permitted to drop into the drawer w or other convenient receptacle.

The coin I will not be released from the arms G H so long as the pressure of the hand is maintained on the plunger-rod J; but upon the release of the pressure from the plunger IOO or push rod J the spring V will cause the carriage S and arms G H to move outward toward the front of the machine, and this movement of said arms G H will cause the camsurfaces t of said arms to move against the pins d e, then in the recesses d b, and open the front ends of the arms G H from one another to release the coin. One object of this part of the mechanism is to prevent the machine from dropping the coin into the receptacle w until a proper movement of the operative mechanism has been made to effect the discharge of the cake of chocolate from the chamber B to the chute F, and in this regard the machine is intended to prevent the purchaser from losing control of the coin before the purchased cake of chocolate has been delivered. The form of the faces of the downwardly-extending portionsh of the arms G H is more clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 6, and is intended to prevent the purchaser from operating the machine by means of tin disks or lead disks or washers or other pieces of metal not actually resembling` the genuine coin. If a thin disk of tin or other metal is inserted through the coin-slot D, it may, if somewhat greater in diameter than the proper coin, pass between the iianges t t' of said downwardly-extendin g portions 7L of the arms G H and fail to be arrested between said arms, passing at once to the receptacle w.

If a washer having a central aperture and of the right dimensions is inserted through the coin-slot D, it may, as indicated in Fig. 3, be arrested by the arms G H, but its central aperture will be in line with the push or plunger rod J, and the latter will pass directly through it, and said washer will not then serve as the medium for locking the lever-arms G H and push-rod J together. The washer thus within the machine will retain its position until a coin (or another washer) has been forced against it through the slot D and driven it downward from the arms G H. If a soft-lead disk, such as is sometimes used to defeat machines of the character herein described, be used, its opposite edges only will be held by the lever-arms G H and the pressure of the rod J at the center of said disk will bend the latter, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. G, and thus said soft-lead disk will not be able to effect the inward motion of the arms G H.

IVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a machine of the character described, the chamber holding the cakes of chocolate or other material, the cylindrical carrier E below said chamber and having the pocket in its side to hold one of said cakes, the lever O, the frame N connected with said lever and also with said cylindrical carrier, the sliding' carriage connected with said lever O, the pair of lever-arms pivotally secured to said carriage,the push-rod for driving the coin against said arms to move the latter and said carriage inward, and the spring imparting to said carriage a normal outward tension; substantially as set forth.

2. In a machine of the character described, the carriage S, and the pair of lever-arms G, H, pivotally secured to-said carriage and having the recesses a, b, at their inner ends, combined with the springs f, g, carrying the pins d, e, for engagement with the inner ends of said lever-arms G, H, the arm Q connected with said carriage, the lever O, the link R connecting said lever O with said arm Q, the revoluble carrier below the chamber holding the cakes of chocolate or other material for delivering the lower one of said cakes, and means intermediate said lever O and said carrier for revolving the latter when said carriage is pushed inward; substantially as set forth.

3. In a machine of the character described, the carriage S, the pair of pivoted lever-arms G, H, connected with said carriage and having the extending portions h to receive the coin, and the push-rod J for driving the coin against said lever-arms and moving the latter with said carriage inward, combined. with the revoluble cylindrical carrier having the pocket in its side, the chamber above said carrier for holding the cakes of chocolate or other material, and mechanism intermediate said carriage and carrier for operating the latter from the former; substantially as set forth.

4t. In a machine of the character described, the chamber for containing the cakes of chocolate or other material, the cylindrical carrier below said chamber and having the pocket to receive one of the said cakes, the chute below said carrier, and the casing protecting the front of said carrier, combined with the pivoted lever-arms G, H, to receive the coin, means for moving said arms inward upon the application of the coin to the machine, means intermediate said arms and carrier for operating the latter, and means for separating said arms to release the coin; substantially as set forth.

5. In a machine of the character described, the chamber for containing the cakes of chocolate or other material, a discharge-carrier at the base of said chamber, the sliding carriage, the pivoted arms G, H, carried by said carriage, and means intermediate said carriage and said discharge-carrier for operating the latter from the former, combined with -the push-rod J for driving the coin against said arms G, H, and moving the latter with said carriage inward, and means substantially as described for separating said armsto release the coin during their return outward movement after the purchased cake of chocolate or other material has been discharged; substantially as set forth.

6. In a machine of the character described, the chamber for containing the cakes of chocolate or other material, a discharge-carrier below said chamber, and the sliding carriage, combined with means intermediate said car- IOO riage and said carrier for operating the latter from the former, the pair of pivoted arms connected with said carriage and having the extensions 71, to receive the coin, and the pushrod .I having an outward spring tension and mounted in apertures to permit the same to be idly turned therein, said push-rod lying intermediate the horizontal plane of said lever-arms G, H.; substantially as set forth.

7. In a machine ofthe character described, the chamber for holding the cakes of chocolate or other material to be sold,and the dischargecarrier below said chamber, combined With a sliding carriage,means intermediate said carriage and said carrier for operating the latter from the former, the pair of arms Gr, H, connected with said carriage, and the push-rod for driving the coin against said arms to move the latter and said carriage inward, said zo arms G, H, having the extensions 7L provided with the flanges i', z', and j, j; substantially as set forth.

8. In a machine of the character described, the push-rod to be operated manually against the coin, and the pair of arms receiving the coin and disposed at opposite sides of the longitudinal center of said rod, combined With the chamber for holding the cakes of material to be sold, means actuated by the movement of said arms to discharge one of said cakes, and means for relieving the coin from said arms upon the discharge of the cake; substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 30th day of October, A. D. 1897.

J ULIUS H. SCHMIDT.

Witnesses:

CHAs. C. GILL, E. Jos. BELKNAP. 

